AS A COACH

AS A COACH

Johan Cruyff was equally influential, further developing and implementing his football philosophy at AFC Ajax and FC Barcelona. He began his career at AFC Ajax Amsterdam, winning the European Cup Winners Cup in 1987 and rocketing a number of great Dutch talents to world prominence.

“He sees football situations so clearly that he was always the one to decide how the game would be played”

– Marco van Basten –

In 1988, Johan moved back to Barcelona, where he would reign for eight years and fundamentally reform the club to the stature it holds today: an icon of world class football and an exemplary model of the beautiful game. Gradually building his legendary ‘Dream Team’, Johan led FC Barcelona to an unprecedented four consecutive national titles (1991-1994) as well as the European Cup Winners Cup (1989) and, ultimately, to the European Cup at Wembley stadium in 1992.

“He was, without a doubt, the best coach I ever had. His lessons will be eternal in my life”

– Romario –

Beyond his trophies, Johan has been heralded for his innovative style of play and his unique coaching principles. He paved the way for generations of top players and entertained audiences worldwide, inspiring many great coaches to follow in his footsteps.

“He must be one of the most creative coaches in football history. I always loved his ideas and he was always talking about something new ”